Ecologists, Scientists Assail U.S. for Environmental Terrorism

Military exercises over the past decades had left Luzon and Mindanao with several cases of deaths and environmental destruction. In recent years, 116 children have died and more than a thousand other children and adults are suffering from various ailments caused by contaminants left by U.S. soldiers in 46 sites in Subic and Clark, the U.S.’s two largest former military bases in Central Luzon.

By Dennis Espada
Contributor, Bulatlat.com

Environmental groups and non-governmental organizations recently assailed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration's support for the impending Bush administration-led anti-terror war against Iraq and the U.S. government’s long record of destroying people's lives and the environment.

"Our history clearly and repeatedly showed us how U.S. military presence in the country had caused many cases of sickness resulting in death due to reckless destruction of our environment," Kalikasan-People's Network for the Environment (KPNE) advocacy officer Clemente Bautista said. Bautista also leads Up Against Toxics! (or Unity of People Against U.S. Military Toxic and Hazardous Waste), a broad alliance of various non-government organizations and sectoral groups campaigning against U.S. military toxic and hazardous wastes.

Threat to Earth and life

Military exercises over the past several years had left Luzon and Mindanao with several cases of deaths and environmental destruction. Currently, there are more than 600 U.S. military soldiers stationed in the country. O'lola Ann Olib, executive cirector of People's Task Force for Bases Clean-up, said 116 children have died and more than a thousand other children and adults are suffering from various ailments caused by contaminants left by U.S. soldiers in 46 sites in Subic and Clark, the U.S.’s two largest former military bases which are both located in Zambales.

Since 1997, studies conducted by several groups such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Department of Health (DoH) as well as independent researchers such as the Woodward Clyde Soil and Water Baseline Environmental Study, the Weston International Study and by Canadian epidemiologist Dr. Rosalie Bertell revealed that groundwater and soil in the two former military bases contain high levels of heavy metals (such as lead) and other pollutants. These pollutants were connected to ailments now afflicting communities around Subic and Clark.

Olib says that Macapagal-Arroyo should pay serious attention to history by looking into the actual experiences of victims and survivors of toxic waste contamination. "Instead of using the funds to pay for the recovery and indemnification of victims, the GMA government has spent them to aid the US soldiers. Tila mas importante pa ang mga Kano kaysa sa mga Pilipino," she laments.

A farcical agreement

Since the Sept. 11 attacks last year – and with the United States committed on instigating a global crusade against terrorism – the Macapagal-Arroyo administration has pushed the approval of the Mutual Logistics and Support Agreement (MLSA) which, critics say, would grant the U.S. the privilege to establish military bases in the country. Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan (AGHAM) secretary-general Trixie Concepcion thinks that the U.S. may use a "prepositioning" in the Philippines as part of the preparation on the impending war on Iraq.

"If the war erupts, I believe that the Philippines would be used as a jump-off point for the U.S. since it will be necessary for them to put up a stockpile of weapons and ammunition," Concepcion said.

Bautista, on the other hand, warned that neither the U.S. nor the Philippine government gave assurance that the conduct of joint military exercises would be safe since "GMA is pushing for the passage of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) without the approval of the Philippine Senate."

In May 2000, the Senate Committees on Environment, Health and Foreign Relations found that: 1) "There is substantial environmental contamination in the former Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Field Base and that the US government has knowledge of the existence and location of known and potential contaminated sites"; 2) "The environmental damage caused in Subic and Clark was substantial and had serious adverse ecological, human health and economic implications for the residents within the area and for the Philippines in general"; 3) The 1947 Military Bases Agreement (MBA), as amended, "did not grant the US any authority to indiscriminately dispose toxic and hazardous wastes as it pleases, destroy the environment and endanger the lives of Filipino citizens in exchange for non-removable buildings and structures."

The Senate report finally recommended that that if the U.S. government refuses to take appropriate action on the matter, a suit can be filed against it “in behalf of the Philippine republic before the International Court of Justice."

"The threat is as real as before since they're bringing in here weapons of nuclear, chemical and biological warfare," Bautista added. Olib made clear that the "U.S. war on terrorism" is an insult to the injuries already already by many Filipinos. "We are against terrorism because we are victims of U.S. environmental terrorism itself," she said. Bulatlat.com

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